Double ignition system for internal-combustion engines.



D. B. HUGHES. DOUBLE IGNITION SYSTEM FOR INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 20. 1909 Patented Got. 14, 1913.

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M Q; W MW M nannamgs. DOUBLE IGNITION SYSTEM FOR INTERNAL QOMBI ISTION ENGINES.

APPLICATION FILED 110?.20. 1909.

lflw m, m ma mm, 1913.

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Ml @656 J lrwerz %w UNITE STATE ATET ()FFID.

DOW B. HUGHES, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO, ASSIGNOR, BY DIRECT AND MESNE ASSIGN- MENTS, TO THE CITIZENS SAVINGS AND TRUST COMPANY, TRUSTEE, OF CLEVE- LAND, 01-110, A CORPORATION OF OHIO.

DOUBLE IGNITION SYSTEM FOR INTERNAL-COMBUSTION ENGINES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. ii, ieia To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Dow B. HUGHES, a citizen of the United States, residing at Cleveland, in the county of Cuyahoga and State of Ohio, have invented a certain new anduseful Improvement in Double Ignition Systems for Internal-Combustion Engines, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

It is quite common practice to provide on automobiles driven by internal combustion engines, two electrical ignition systems, via, one including a battery and spark coil, and the other including a magneto. In the use of this double ignition system the battery circuit is employed for starting the engine. When the'engine is well under way the operator by turning a switch breaks the battery circuit and completes the magneto circuit.

The object of this invention is to obtain all the advantages of this double system by an apparatus which does not require that the operator shall bother himself to turn a switch to disconnect the battery system and to connect up the magneto system. The apparatus shown in the drawing embodying the invention realizes this object and indeed produces better sparks from the second system than are obtained from the ordinary ma etc, and does this with an apparatus WlllCh is less expensive than the double system heretofore used.

In the drawing, Figure 1 is a side elevation with certain parts of the casing broken away and sectioned. Fig. 2 is an end View from the left side of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is an end view from the right side of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a sectional end view in the plane indicated by line f 'on Fig. 1; and Fig. 5 is a diagrammatic view of the apparatus.

Beferring to the parts by letters, A represents the framework on which the moving parts are supported.

B represents an ordinary alternating current generator having separately excited fields.

0 represents a shaft which is to be connected with the en e in such wise that it rotates at cam sha speed,-='that is to say, in a four cylinder engine of the four-cycle type, at half the speed ofthe engine .shaft. The generator is driven from shaft by a train of gears shown partly by dotted lines in Fig. 1 said train consisting of gear 0 fixed to shaft 0, a gear d fixed to a short shaft D mounted in the frame A, a gear 03 fixed to this same shaft, anda gear I) fixed to the armature shaft of the generator. The gears 0 and d are of such relative size that the shaft D rotates four times as fast as the shaft C. The function of the shaft D is to operate what is commonly known in this art as the timer, which is a device whose function is to make and break, at proper intervals, the circuit of the primary of the induction coil. There are a-great variety of these timers, and the, specific construction of that shown is not at all material to the present invention. The particular timer shown, however, includes a pivoted contact lever F which is connected in the primary circuit of the induction coil, a spring contact bar G which is also connected in the same circuit, and a cam d fixed to shaft D engaging with the friction roller f carried by said lever, whereby in each revolution of the shaft D this lever is forced upward into contact with the spring contact bar G thereby completing the primary circuit of the induction ,coilI.

At the right end of the shaft C, as shown in Fig. 1, is what is known as the distributer. This is an apparatus generically of well known form for conveying the secondaryor high tension current i'n proper sequence to the spark plu of the several engine cylinders. Any suitable distributor may be employed for the purpose. That which is shown consists of a disk Q fixed to shaft C and carrying a brush g. This disk is in a cylindrical recess is in a block K of insulating material. As the shaft C rotates, the brush wipes against the interior cylindrical surfaces of metal contact plates set 'i-ntothis recess at points 90 degrees apart. Those contact plates are to be severally connected by means of conductors J with the several spark plugs of the engine cylinders.

By reference to Fig. 5, the circuits to be made and broken to the various parts are clearly shown. In this diagram, L indicates the battery, and H the plug socket for the reception of a plug to close .a'break nn the' battery circuit.- The current from the batztei'y, when the apparatus is at rest,-' and until the engine attains somepred'etermin'ed speed, is through the wire 9 to the primary winding of the induction coil I ho a brush 1,

thence over a bridge 5 to the brush 3, and thence by the Wire g back to the battery. When, however, the generator circuit is in use the battery current fio'wsover Wires 9 and g .to the field winding B thence throughwire g to the other field winding and thence to the, brush 4 thence over the bridge 7 to the brush 3;, and.thence back to the battery by the wire gi The generator circuit is then from the collector ring B over wire 9* through wire 9 to the primary windings of the induction coil l, thence to the brush l,'then by the way of the bridge 6 to the brush 2, and thence by wire 9' to the other collector ring E. The generator circuit and the battery circuit, when the'motor is cutout, both include, as shown, the timer described. There is a shunt circuit including the wires g, 9 around said timer, and

. leading-ma switch g which switch may be operated by hand after the fashion of a vibrator to complete the circuit and thereby create a spark in one of the cylinders if the engine is self-start1ng,-that is to say, if one of the cylinders has held a compressed charge of the explosive mixture while the engine has been idle.

The three bridge pieces 5, 6 and 7 are fixed to the surface of an insulating cylinder d, which is in turn fixed to a shaft N mounted in suitable bearings carried by the frame member.' The brushes 1. 2, 3 and 4 are arranged so as to contact with the surface of this cylinder and with the bridge plates thereon when the cylinder is properly positioned. On one end of the shaft of this cylinder is a disk P carrying a pin s and on the outer end of the'shaft of the cylinder is a small pointed cam n which is engaged by a roller R mounted. in the end of the spring arm r which presses said roller against the face of this cam. A disk T is loosely mounted upon the shaft N and it has an are shaped notch t in its periphery so placed that the pin 11 projects into the same between the two terminal shoulders of said notch. This disk has rigid with it an. arm t in the upper end ofv which two anti-friction rollers 15 are mounted. These rollers lie on opposite sides of an annular flange 4.0 can. ried by a sleeve W which is slidably mounted upon the shaft C. There is a spring V tend- .ing to push this sleeve to the left, as shown in. Fig. 1.

U represents a centrifugal 'governor of a familiar form carried on the shaft C. This is merely a ring pivoted on pins a, which ring is connected by a link S with sleeve W. As the speed of the shaft 0 increases, this governor ringwill be swung into more nearly a plane at rightangles to the she ft, and in'so moving will move the sleeve W to the right, as shown in Fig. 1. This will! cause the disk T to rock, and by pressing against the pin p to turn the cylinder M brings the bridges '6 and Tinjconiiaotl re spectively withthebru-shea Land 2 andjthe brushes 3 and 4. Thisautomatically bre ks thev battery circuit going to the indz coil, and completes the battery circuit to. the fields of the generator, and the generator circuit going to the induction coil. When the speed of the, shaft C gets below the predetermined lapsed, the spring V overcoming the centrifugal force acting on the governor ring will move sleeve W in the contrary direction, thereby turning the disk P in the contrary direction, and causing the'lower shoulder orend of the slot in its edge to push against the pin n, thereby turning the cylinder M in the contrary direction. When it has been turned far enough for the point of the cam a to slip past the center of the roller R, the spring r, 1 acting upon this cam, turns the cylinder quickly and thereby brings the bridge 5 therein into contact with the brushes Qand 3, thereby Eompleting the battery circuit to the induction coil. It is this last described posi tion of the cylinder which may be called its normal position,that is tosay, it is the position in which it is when the engine is at rest, but, as will be understood from the foregoing description, when the engine gets up speed so that the generator generates a suitable current, which may possibly be when the engine shaft is turning at the rate of three hundred revolutions per minute,'

the cylinder M is operated so as to automatically disconnect the-battery and coa nect the generator in the circuit with the primary winding of the induction coil. lVhenthe engine slows down, the reverse or nprmal connection is automatically brought a out. w

Having described my invention, I claim; 1. The combination of a battery, a me chanical current-generator having separately excited fields, electrical connections between said battery and the field of said generator, an induction coil, connections between the primary winding of said induction coil and said generator, connections be-' tween the battery and the primary winding of said induction coil, and switch mechanism for either making or breaking the connections between the battery and induction coil on the one hand, and on the other hand for at the same time breaking or making the connections between said bat- 'tery and generator field, and between thegenerator and said induction coil. 2. The combination of a battery, a me- ,.chanical ourrent gencrator having sepaiis rately excited fields, electrical connections between said battery and the field of said tween the battery igozioom generator; an inoiuction con, connections between the primer Winding of saioi incinetion coil and said generator, connections beand the primary wimiing oi said induction coil, switch mechanism for eieher makingoi" breaking the connections beibween iiie memory and indecision coil on the one hand anion the oeher hanci for at the same time bizeaklng or making the conneo'eions between said battery and generator field and between the generator and said induction coii a centriiiwoi governor carried by rotatable shaft, and means inieiineciiate of slaid governor an switch meci ianism for operating the latter.

The combination of a battery, a mechanicai cnrrentenei'aior having se zei'ately ezicited fiei s, electrical connections between saidbattery vaneithe field. of saici generator, an induction coii, connection: be tween the primary Winding ofsaid illGillC tion coii and said tween the battery and the primary Winding of said induction coil and switch mecha nism for either makino" or breaking the Con nectio'ns between the battery and induciion coil on the one hand enci on the other hanci for-at the same time breaking" or making the connections between said. battery and generaeoi' field and between the generator and said induction (3011, a make and break timing device connected in the circuit oi? ehe generation connections be inciuiing switch mechanism between said battery and the field of magnemmr, an induction coil, connections ioetween the pri- 'mai'y winding of saiei induction coii and said generator, eo eotions between the bat- {16?}! and the prime winding of said minction coil and SW], ii-mechanism for either making'or breakingthe connections between indecision coii on the one other hanei for at the .or making die connecthe battery and hand, and on ene same time breakin tions ketween sai field and ice-tween the generator and said ilduction coii, a centrii'ngai governor carried by rotatable shaft, and means-intermedi ate of said governor and switch mechanism for operaeing the latter.

in testimony Whereoi, Ii hereunto afii: my signature'in the presence of two wiinesses.

v DOW" B. Hi1 GEES. Witnesses H; RVSULLIVAN, B. Gmome'i'.

beibiery and generator 

